It Was Always There  A Jemi Story
by JovatoJemi
Summary: This is another Jemi story I wrote. Kinda relatable! Please read & comment! xoxo


Another Jemi Story

Hey guys! This is another Jemi story I wrote. In this, Jemi are normal people, just regular teens.

I hope y'all enjoy it! :D

.Lovato ;)

-JovatoJemi

[Demi's POV]

School. I wish I could just graduate and get this whole thing over with.

I was lucky enough to get the most boring science teacher this year. Mr. Reilly is so old. Can't he just retire and spare all of us the torture! Ugg.

"Hey Demi!" I hear a familiar voice come up behind me. I turn around and see Joe Jonas' smiling face. Joe is such a spunky guy, he always brightens my day.

"Is this seat taken?" he asks me, pointing to the empty seat beside mine. I shake my head. He smiles and flops down into the seat. Joe pushes up his glasses with his index finger and then flashes another of his signature shy guy smiles at me and I can't help but giggle. He's such a sweetheart.

"Hey four eyes. I'm sitting there. Move." another voice comes up behind me. I turn around and see Trace's face. Trace Cyrus. Resident bad boy and every girl's dream guy. Well, except mine, that is.

Joe's face falls. He's not the kind of guy who would stand up to Trace.

"Uhm, I'm sorry Trace. I'll leave. Bye." Joe says nervously. He picks up his backpack and quickly moves to another seat. Not even looking back at me.

Trace laughs self satisfied and flops down into the seat.

"Hey beautiful." he says, looking my way. I'm just gonna ignore him. Trace is the kind of guy that works on my nerves 24/7. Why he wants to get my attention so bad, no one knows. I'm probably the only girl in school he hasn't dated. That's just gross. He's gross. I wish he would leave.

"Demi…oh, I see. You're playing hard-to-get! Well baby, you know you want this, so why fight it?" he speaks again. Poor thing, he's so self centered, he can't even realize that I really don't want him here...and I **really** don't want **that**. I can't help but laugh.

"What's so funny?" he pries.

"Ugg, Trace, could you just—"

"Good morning class!" Mr. Reilly interrupts. The whole class goes silent for a few seconds. No one actually listens to Mr. Reilly, so soon enough everybody starts talking again. He walks over to his desk, as usual, and starts paging through one of the textbooks.

Trace has luckily turned around to talk to some guys on his other side. I glance over to where Joe is now sitting. He seems lonely. Even though he's with his friends, he is still not saying much. That dumb-ass Trace. He probably hurt Joe's feelings.

* * *

"Oh my gosh, Demi! Trace **wants** you! What is wrong with you?" Selena asks flabbergasted.

"Trace is gross!" Selena is my best friend and I love her, but that is just one thing we could never agree on. She's practically in love with Trace and he annoys me to death. She stops walking and gasps.

"Don't say that about Trace! Trace is gorgeous!" she defends him.

"Eww…."

I suddenly see Joe standing at his locker. I run up to him.

"Hey!" He turns around and sees me standing behind him.

"Hi Demi."

"Listen, I'm really sorry about the whole Trace thing. He's an ass." he laughs faintly. Seems like he's really hurt.

"Yeah. Its ok." he replies shyly.

"And if it helps, I think you look nice with your glasses." I smile at him. He smiles back. But I can see he's not really ok.

I gently place my hand on his arm and flash a compassionate smile. It probably won't help much, but it's worth a try! He blushes slightly, which I think is totally cute.

"Thanks. You really know how to make a guy feel better." he says with a smile.

"I'll see you in English, okay?"

He nods at me and I walk back to the vending machine where Selena is waiting. I like making people feel happy. After all, Joe's random jokes and stupid one-liners always pick me up when I'm feeling down. I'm just returning the favor.

* * *

Finally lunch! I just had to get out of that Math class, Trace was flirting with the substitute teacher and Selena was staring at him the whole time. It was quite absurd.

"Wait up, babe!" Nick yells behind me as I walk out the door.

Nick Jonas is my boyfriend. No, he's not related to Joe, they just coincidentally have the same surname. Random, I know. Math is the only class Nick and I have together, so at least that keeps Trace away for a while.

He takes my hand, intertwining his fingers with mine and we walk through the hall.

You could call us the "power couple" of the school. I'm not proud of it; I would rather just do my thing under the radar, without every other person asking me about our relationship. Nick is the baseball "king" and I've made my mark with my music, so everybody basically knows us. It's annoying cause it seems that whenever we're seen together, it's like we're untouchable. I know that's supposed to be good, but I really don't like being seen higher than the other kids at school. It's just not right.

"You alright?" Nick asks me, "You're awfully quiet…" he adds. I smile at him. I must've zoned out for a few seconds.

"I'm good."

"Hey Dems!" I hear a passer by say. I turn around, just facing a whole bunch of people walking around in different directions. Another thing that bothers me. People I don't even know act like we're best friends, just to be in the "spotlight" too. Truly, I probably just have like five **real** friends.

Nick and I grab some lunch then walk over to our regular table in the cafeteria. Soon enough Selena, Miley, Kevin and Sterling come sit down at the table.

"Oh my gosh, guys. Did you see that new sub in Math?" Kevin, Nick's older brother, asks.

"Dude! She's hot! Whoow!" Sterling gets excited.

"Trace flirted with her throughout the whole period…" I say carelessly.

"Wow…he's brave…" Kevin replies with shocked eyes. Miley and Selena giggle. Just hearing the word 'Trace' makes them excited.

* * *

After lunch, Nick walks me to my locker. Trace's locker is just a few down from mine. How convenient. I take my books out and slam my locker shut. I see Trace walking over to his. He winks at me with a sly smile.

"Ugg…I wish he would just leave me alone…" I complain, leaning my back against the locker. Nick places his hand on the locker next to me for support.

"Just forget about him. He's just being a jerk. After all, he can't have you if you're with me, right?" he says casually. I smile. Nick looks Traces way then leans in and our lips meet for a few moments.

I look Traces way and he's just staring in envy. He slams his locker shut and walks away.

"That ought to keep him away for a while." Nick says with a satisfied smile. I giggle.

"Thanks."

Nick kisses my cheek before he walks away.

* * *

"Joe! I saved you a seat!" I yell from the back of the class as soon as he walks into English. Joe walks up to me.

"What about Trace?" he asks shyly.

"Don't worry about him. I'm sure he'll stay away from me for at least the rest of the day." I say with a smile. Joe's face instantaneously lights up and he flops down into the seat next to mine.

"So, how is your day so far?" I ask, trying to generate conversation.

"Okay, I guess. At least I have good company in English!" he replies with a smile. I blush lightly.

"Aww thanks…" I say flattered.

"How about yours?"

"Boring! Ahh I wish I could just graduate and get it over with…"

Joe laughs.

"Yeah! What if the world ends in a year? We haven't even lived yet!" Joe protests laughingly.

"You're so right!"

"Call me as soon as you start living!" Joe says, laughing even more now. Joe always seems to be more comfortable in my company. I've seen him with his friends. He doesn't say much. But he always has the funniest jokes and random things to say when he's with me. It's quite strange, though it's flattering too.

"Oh, so I'm not living now?"

"You're dead to me…" Joe says in a gay voice, rolls his eyes and gasps, which causes me to laugh really hard.

"Settle down, settle down!" we hear a voice coming from the front of the room. The room hushes.

Tiny Mrs. Parker stands in front of the class.

"Morning children." she says in a perky voice.

"Morning Mrs. Parker…" the class says in chorus. She smiles and takes a textbook from her desk.

"Turn to page 75 please." she orders us. Everyone gets out their books and turns to page 75.

Mrs. Parker goes and sits on an empty desk in front of the class. We all know that when she does that, the lesson is going to be long and boring. I sigh and start doodling in my book.

I glance over to Joe. He has taken off his glasses to wipe something out of his eye. I grab the glasses from his desk and put them on.

Pretending like nothing happened; I look up to listen to Mrs. Parker, looking at Joe from the corner of my eye. He looks down to his desk and sees his glasses are missing. I snicker softly. He then looks around his desk if it didn't fall off, then in his backpack. I can't keep my laugh in much longer.

Joe looks my way. He sees I'm wearing his glasses. I pretend like nothing is wrong.

"Demi…" he whispers. I ignore him, trying hard not to burst out in laughter.

"Demi!" he whispers louder. I look his way. I can feel a smile emerge on my face and I will soon start laughing.

"My glasses! I can't see!" he whispers again. The urgency in his voice is just making the whole situation ten times funnier. I laugh softly.

"C'mon! Give them! I can't see!" he says laughingly. I make a pout face and then I pose with the glasses.

"I look smart, don't I?" I ask, still laughing. Joe nods with a smile.

"Now, give them here!" he whispers again. I laugh and reach out to give Joe's glasses back. Just as he's about to grab them, I snatch them back again. I snicker and Joe glares at me. The smile on his face tells me that he's trying very hard not to laugh.

"Ms Lovato, Mr. Jonas, is there something the two of you would like to share with the class?" Mrs. Parker asks. The whole class turns around to face us. I freeze and throw the glasses onto Joe's desk. I clear my throat a few times looking at Joe. He's bright red.

"Uh…no…uh…no…Mrs. Parker." Joe says nervously, squinting to see the teacher properly.

"Well then. Please pay attention." Mrs. Parker replies and glares at the both of us.

"Yes Mrs. Parker…" I say softly. She clears her throat, causing the whole class to turn around again. She continues with the lesson. I can't help but laugh quietly. Joe glowers at me which makes me laugh even more.

"That wasn't funny…" he whispers laughingly.

* * *

Two weeks later

'Hey Dems, I've got baseball practice until six today. Sorry for moving the date again. :( Can we please reschedule? I'm really sorry babe. Love-Nick'

Ugg. Nick has been rescheduling our dates a lot lately. I don't know why. Is he avoiding me? What the hell. Well…maybe he's just really busy…hmmm

Today is such a boring day. I know Fridays are supposed to be fun and exciting, but mine is so not. School felt so long and I didn't have Math today, so I barely saw Nick the whole day. And now I'm not even seeing him later on. At least I had English and Joe to goof around with. He's really a good friend…hmmm

But now, here I am. Sitting in front of my piano, waiting for inspiration to hit me. If only it would come. I hate writer's block. Worst thing ever.

Suddenly I hear my phone buzz. Another text? Why would Nick text me again?

'Why did the chicken cross the street? Cause it was bored…'

What the hell is this? Am I supposed to laugh now? My phone buzzes again.

'I'm sorry, I'm SUPER bored. Oh btw, it's Joe.'

I chuckle lightly. This guy is really weird…in a really cute way. Soon my phone buzzes again.

'Are you bored? I am…wanna hang out?'

Joe wants to hang out. Maybe I should do something to get my mind off Nick. Yes. I'll go. I reply to Joe and we agree to meet at the park near my house.

* * *

"Heeyy!" Joe says excitedly as he sees me nearing the bench where he's sitting. He gets up to hug me.

"Hi! So what are we doing?" I ask.

"Well…we could go get some ice-cream…or nacho's…or whatever." Joe suggests.

"How about…you come with me…we go to the mall…and we go for mani-pedi's!" I say excitedly. Joe gives me an 'are you serious?'-look. It causes me to laugh.

"Just kidding!" I say through my laughter.

"Phew! For a sec there I thought you were serious!" he says relieved.

"Haha. Nah. I'll never do that to you…" I say with a reassuring smile. Joe smiles too, another shy guy smile, one of those that make me blush…unintentionally.

"Come on, my car is just around the corner. We can go to the mall and just decide there." he says and points in the direction of where he parked. We walk along a pathway, and strangely enough, we don't speak at all. Usually Joe and I always have something to talk about. Not today. Weird.

Finally Joe's car is in sight. He opens the door for me to get in. Such a gentleman. He walks around the front and gets in too. Before he starts the car, he looks my way and flashes another shy guy smile. I swear…the more he does that, the more I want to melt.

He starts the car and we drive off.

* * *

"So…what do you wanna do?" Joe asks me again as we get out of the car. I sigh.

"What's wrong?" Joe asks concerned.

"Nothing. I think you just have to choose cause I'm really indecisive…"

Joe chuckles lightly.

"Fine. Are you hungry?"

"Not really…how about you?"

"Okay. I suggest…we go to the arcade…just hang there for a while, then we can grab some eats later on." he finishes with a smile.

"Great idea. Let's go."

* * *

"No! You're doing it wrong!" Joe says laughingly.

Here I am, standing, with this huge simulator-gun-thing in my hands, shooting at the screen…but I have no idea what I'm doing.

"Don't laugh, Joe!" I say madly, though I'm laughing too.

"Here, I'll show you."

Joe walks up to me, stands behind me and softly places my hands on the right places. I can't help but get tingles as I feel his warm body pressed against mine. He then gently puts his hand over mine, the one that is right behind the trigger. I can feel his breath against my neck…which just gives me more shivers.

"Okay, now just aim the little red X onto a guy, then just tell me when you're ready." Joe says softly. I press my right eye against the telescope and move the gun until the red X is on the guy's chest.

"Okay, now…"

Joe softly puts pressure on my finger, causing me to pull the trigger.

"Whoa! You got him!" Joe says excitedly. I can't help but be a little giddy too.

"Boojah!" I scream unintentionally loud. Joe chuckles.

"C'mon, do another one." he says laughingly.

I take another shot and I kill another guy.

"Yeah! This is so much fun!" I yelp.

"You're already a pro!" Joe says excitedly.

"Well…I have an awesome teacher…" I say with a smile. Joe blushes and smiles shyly. There's a little awkward silence.

"C'mon. Let's go get something to eat." I say, breaking the silence.

* * *

"This is the best pizza ever!" Joe exclaims. I chuckle. He smiles and takes another bite of his pizza.

"Thanks for taking me out, Joe. I really needed this…" I say with a more serious tone in my voice.

"Hey, no problem. Just know, whenever you're down…or bored…" he laughs, "just give me a call!"

I smile and take a sip of my drink.

I take the moment to completely examine Joe's face.

He has beautiful brown eyes…like a puppy's…

He has a small beauty spot on his lower-right chin. Something I haven't noticed before. And when he laughs, his nose crinkles up in a really adorable way under his glasses. He has a little dimple on his left cheek, really cute, especially when he flashes a shy-guy smile. His hair is done up and spiky, quite rockstar-like, but the look suites him.

"Dem…why are you looking at me like that?" Joe interrupts my thoughts. I stutter, trying to find an excuse for intensely staring at him.

"Uh…nothing. Just zoomed out for a few seconds there…" I reply quickly and laugh fakely.

"You have something on your mind? What's up?" Joe asks curiously.

I clear my throat, finding this quite awkward.

"Uh…no…I'm just a little tired, I think…" I try hard to come up with an excuse. Joe laughs to himself; he knows I'm hiding something from him. But he also knows that it won't help asking me the whole time.

"You're tired? I can take you home." Joe says and grabs his jacket.

"No, you haven't even finished your food. It's ok." I say quickly, motioning Joe to sit down again.

* * *

He smiles and puts his jacket and keys back down.

Joe pulls up into my driveway and looks my way.

"Thanks again, Joe. You really made my day." I say with a smile, just before I get out of the car.

He smiles sweetly.

"My pleasure. I had fun. We should do it again some time." he says, casually leaning back in his seat. I nod with a smile.

"Definitely."

"Bye! See you on Monday!" I say as I get out of the car. He starts the car and slowly reverses out of the driveway. He waves at me one last time, with a smile of course, and then drives off.

I can't help but smile to myself. I really did have a good time with Joe. At least my Friday was fun.

As I open the front door, I pull my phone out of my handbag, hearing it beep.

'Hey babe. Baseball practice finished early today! Are you still up for dinner? -Nick'

Ugg….I'm so tired…I don't know if I should go.

I can't believe this. I'm blowing off my boyfriend because I had too much fun with another guy. Oh crap. I have to admit it now.

I'm starting to get feelings for Joe…this is not good. I can't hurt Nick, he's good to me. But Joe is so dreamy…and shy…and sweet. But Nick treats me with respect…wait, so does Joe.

WHY? WHY ME?

I think I'm gonna head to bed early tonight, better reply to Nick first.

'Hey, uh, I'm kinda tired, so can we go out tomorrow? Lunch?' I quickly type. Soon enough Nick replies to my text.

'Sure. Pick you up at 12. Sleep tight! I'll be dreaming of you xoxo'

Aww…Nick is so sweet…and he's just making it so much harder than it already is.

I crawl into bed quite early.

* * *

I wake up and find myself lying almost totally upside down in my bed. Must've had a bad dream. I look over to my alarm clock to check the time. 2 AM. How nice.

I lay awake, staring up at the ceiling.

Thoughts of my day with Joe run through my mind. I think I'm really falling in love with him. He is so sweet, he makes me laugh all the time, he treats me special…and he makes me feel…beautiful.

But what about Nick? I can't be falling for Joe if I'm still with Nick. I don't want to be a two-timer! And I don't wanna hurt Nick! I still want to be his friend. There's only one way to settle this. When Nick and I go for lunch tomorrow…or later today, I'm gonna tell him. Straight up. Oh gosh…I hope he understands.

I glance over to my alarm clock. 3AM…tick, tick, tick.

I probably won't be able to sleep any more. This is just great. I hate insomnia.

Okay, I've got it all planned out. I'm gonna tell Nick that we've drifted apart. We're both so busy all the time and whenever one is free, the other isn't. I'm gonna tell him that I've found some one else. Ooooo…isn't that gonna sound a little harsh? I'll just have to tell him. Rather than him finding out from some creeper person or something. Yes. Tomorrow…tomorrow is d-day.

I hope he understands. I wouldn't want to lose his friendship; Nick is one of my best friends. I can't lose him.

I sigh and close my eyes, trying really hard to fall back asleep.

* * *

"Demi! Get up, it's almost 11!" I hear my mom yelling from the hallway. I murmur and just burry my face deeper into my pillow. I only fell asleep at 5AM last night…or rather…this morning. It was agony! I lie in my bed for a few more minutes; sigh and then I finally sit up. I sit on my bed for a few moments, just gathering my thoughts. Today is gonna be hard. I sigh once again and get up.

* * *

I hear a knock on the door and run downstairs quickly. That's probably Nick. He's always so punctual. I take a deep breath before opening the door.

"Hey, babe." Nick says with a smile. He wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me into a tight hug. This will be our last…hopefully not…I hold on for as long as I can, trying to stop time and just stay in this moment for a while. We finally part and I smile faintly.

"Are you ready to go?" Nick asks.

"Yeah…" I grab my jacket and handbag.

"Bye mom! Bye dad!" I yell up the stairs. Nick walks out the door, me following not far behind. He opens the door on the passenger side of his car, for me to get in.

* * *

"You look beautiful…" Nick says as we walk into the restaurant. His hand is warm in mine and so is his smile.

"Thanks…" I reply, blushing slightly. He is so sweet…

Oh gosh. Is it possible to be in love with **two** guys…**at the same time?** This is crazy…and it's not working for me! Ahh! I'm gonna go insane!

"Demi?" Nick interrupts my thought.

"Where are you? You've been staring at the salt shaker for the past few minutes."

"Uh. Sorry…just zoomed out there…" I reply uneasily. I know I have to tell Nick. I just don't know how to start. I stare at him for a few seconds as he examines the menu. He seems so innocent. So happy. Now I'm gonna ruin everything.

"Nick…" my voice is soft.

He looks up.

"We've got to t—" just as I'm about to start, I can see the waitress coming our way.

Nick puts in our orders and she walks away again.

"You were saying?" Nick asks.

I start fumbling with my fingers. I'm so nervous. I take a deep breath.

"We…we have to talk…" I say seriously. Nick's facial expression rapidly changes. He sits up in his seat and clears his throat uncomfortably.

"…I know…"

As the words come from his lips, I can feel a cold shiver up my spine. This is now. No turning back.

"You start…"

"Well…this past month has been so busy…I mean…you always have baseball practice and I'm always busy writing or recording. It's like…like…"

"…like we've drifted apart…" Nick finishes my sentence. At least he agrees with me. I take another breath.

"I know, Demi. We never get to see each other anymore…"

"Yeah…and…" I can't go on. I can't scrape up enough courage to tell Nick about Joe. I'm…afraid.

"Demi…I think…"

"I think we should break up…" I finish his sentence quickly. I freeze, waiting for him to react. I can see the tenseness in his shoulders slowly fade. He seems more at ease now.

"…yeah…" he replies softly after a few moments. I don't know why…but it still feels like my heart just got ripped out…I feel sad and …hurt.

"So this is mutual?" I wonder. Nick nods, the serious expression on his face not fading a bit.

There's an awkward silence.

Finally the waitress arrives with our food.

"So…what now?" Nick asks hesitantly. I pause a few moments to think. Should I tell him now? I think I should.

"Well," I take a sip of my drink, "…if you're up for it…I would love to remain friends."

"Totally! I mean, we were like friends from kindergarten!" Nick replies with a slightly lighter tone in his voice. I smile. I'm glad I don't have to completely erase him from my life. That would be torture! Nick and I have been through so much together, even when we weren't dating. He was always there for me.

"So…it's over…" he mumbles through his breath, looking down.

"I guess so…" I say with a sigh. There's another awkward silence. I fumble with my fingers once again.

"Listen, Nick…" I finally break the silence. Now. I'm telling him **now.** Not a second later. He **has** to know. Nick looks up.

"Yeah?"

"Well…I really don't want to hurt your feelings…but…" I pause for a few seconds to take a deep breath.

"…I might have…slightly…possibly…fallen in love…with someone else…" the words come out hesitantly.

Nick's facial expression doesn't show any surprise, or anger, or sadness…what?

"…I kind of figured." he says casually. I gasp.

"How did you know?"

"It's that Joe kid, right?" he asks. What? How? Huh?

I sit stunned. How is heaven's name does Nick know? I haven't told anybody! Not even Selena!

"Yeah, I saw you two together the other day. Don't worry. I'm not hurt, I understand. I was 'absent' in this relationship the whole time. And I understand that your feelings for another person grew." Nick says. I find my voice after a few moments.

"Wow Nick. You are so freaking awesome." I say stunned. He smiles.

"And I'm still sorry for not letting you know earlier. I had to ensure myself first."

"Like I said, I understand."

"That girl is lucky…" I say after a few seconds.

"What girl?" Nick asks confused.

"The girl that you're gonna fall in love with. She's lucky."

Nick gasps.

"You're a really amazing guy, Nick. Just know that. And don't forget…'that girl' has to go through me first!" I say jokingly. He laughs.

* * *

I get back home. I don't know why, but I still feel sad. But I'm allowed to feel sad. I mean, Nick and I just broke up.

I slouch over to the couch and turn on the TV. I lie on my side, pretty sad, watching some show that I don't even know the name of. But my attention isn't on the TV. I'm watching, but I see nothing.

Joe has been on my mind ever since I got home. I wonder what he's doing now. I hesitantly pull my phone out of my back pocket. I call his number. I can hear the phone's ring and I debate on hanging up.

"Hello?" I hear Joe's voice.

"Uh…hey Joe…" I say softly. Even though I'm now talking to him, I still feel pretty bummed about Nick.

"What's up? You sound sad…" Joe asks. I sigh.

"Yeah…uh…are you doing anything?"

"No. You wanna hang out?" he asks.

"Yeah. You can come over…if you like…" I reply.

"Cool. I'll be over in about ten minutes."

Ten minutes later, I hear a knock on the door. I run from my room, downstairs to open the door.

"Hey!" Joe says and gives me a hug.

"Hi! Come in!" I let him in.

"Where's everybody?" Joe asks, looking around the house.

"My parents are out." I reply casually.

"I see you're not wearing your glasses…" I say, noticing that Joe has sunglasses on.

"Yeah, I like wearing my contacts over the weekend." he replies with a smile.

I show Joe around the house. I open the fridge as we enter the kitchen.

"Ice-cream?" I suggest. Joe nods. I grab the tub of ice-cream from the freezer and put it on the counter. I hand Joe a spoon. He smiles at me.

"So, what's up? You seem…down?" Joe asks, putting another spoonful of ice-cream in his mouth.

I sigh and look up.

"Well…you know Nick…"

"Your boyfriend? Yeah…what did he do?" Joe asks curiously.

"…we broke up…" I say softly.

"Oh…I'm so sorry…" Joe's tone of voice suddenly changes. He pulls me into a hug. I hold on to him as long as possible.

"Don't be…" I say, finally pulling away, "it was a mutual decision." I add with a slight smile. Joe looks at me with sympathetic eyes.

There's an awkward silence.

"Well…this place is jaded. How about…we go to the beach?" I suggest. Joe looks out the window.

"Weather looks nice. Sure!"

I run upstairs and quickly grab some stuff. After a few minutes I come running down with a beach bag over my shoulder, a pair of short denim shorts and a white shirt and my favorite blue flip-flops.

"Ready…" I say with a smile. Joe takes my bag and we head out to his car.

"Just know, I don't intend on swimming…" I say as we get in. Joe just laughs.

After we had got Joe's things from his house, we head to the beach.

* * *

"Wow…there are a lot of people here!" Joe says surprised as we pull up into the parking lot at the beach.

"Well duh. It's a Saturday…in summer…" I reply. I grab my bag and get out of the car. Joe goes around back to get out a blanket and another beach bag.

We head down to the beach and start looking for a nice spot.

As we settle down, I pull my shirt over my head, revealing my black bikini top. Joe's eyes widen but I pretend not to notice. I put on my sunglasses and lie on my back. I can feel Joe's eyes still on me and I start to get a little nervous.

"So, are you just gonna sit there all day?" I ask, lifting myself of the blanket with my elbows. Joe, who pretends to look some other way, looks back at me.

"Are you gonna lie here all day?" He answers my question with a question, and a smile.

"I'm tanning okay!" I say laughingly, "you can join me if you'd like!" I add.

Even though Joe clearly doesn't need tanning, he still pulls off his shirt, revealing his ripped body. Now I'm the one that has to refrain from staring. He lies himself down next to me.

"Now what?" he asks as if he has never done this before. I laugh.

"Now nothing…"

"Oh, so you just lie here, waiting for the sun to burn your skin…" Joe replies. I lower my sunglasses to show him that I'm glaring at him. He laughs.

"C'mon!" Joe pulls me up. I hesitantly get up.

"I told you I'm not going swimming…" I say firmly. Joe, who is still shirtless…and gorgeous…, glares at me.

"I know you wanna. You can go without me. I'll go get us some ice-cream."

He gives in.

"Fine…chocolate chip please…" he says. I smile satisfied. I take some money out of my handbag and watch Joe walking closer and closer to the water. I stand amazed for a few seconds, sigh happily and walk over to the ice-cream stand.

* * *

It's almost dusk and Joe and I are still at the beach.

"You wanna take a walk?" Joe suddenly asks. I nod with a smile. He pulls me up from the blanket. A lot of people have gone home and the beach was much quieter now.

As we walk, there is an awkward silence. I look down, watching as Joe's feet dig into the sand with every step he takes.

"Not meaning to pry or anything…but what went wrong? ...With you and Nick, I mean…" Joe asks, breaking the silence. I look up at him; he's staring out into the open sky. I wait a few seconds before I reply. He clearly doesn't know that he is…partially…one of the reasons.

"Well…we kinda just…grew apart, I guess…"

"Hmmm…at least he didn't cheat on you…" Joe says, still staring out into the sky.

"Why? What would you have done?" I ask curiously.

"Well, I would've kicked his butt! That's what I would've done!" Joe says laughingly and flexes his muscles. He is so hot. Damn.

"Yeah right!" I reply and punch his arm teasingly and then I run away laughingly.

"Hey get back here!" Joe laughs and starts running after me. I'm not the fastest of runners, so he quickly catches up to me. We both laugh hysterically.

After a few minutes, we calm down and we start walking again.

The soft sound of the water's ebb and flow is really calming and soothing. Sometimes the water comes trickling over our feet as we walk.

"Nah…I don't think Nick is the kind of guy who would go around, cheating on girls. He's a cool guy." Joe says after a while. He ruffles his hair with his hand.

"Yeah…and besides…there is already…." I pause. Am I really doing this? "…someone…else…" I say hesitantly. Joe looks at me.

"You mean…he already likes someone else?"

"No…I mean…**I** already like someone else…" I reply softer and more hesitant. Joe's facial expression freezes.

"Oh really?" he asks after a few moments of silence. Oh my gosh. Am I gonna tell him?

"Yeah…"

"And who might this be? I mean…If I may know…" Joe asks. I can tell he has become a little fidgety.

"Well…I think you know him…" I answer with a smile. Making a game out of this whole situation might make it a little easier.

"Oh, c'mon. Don't play games…" Joe says, clearly wanting to know who this guys is. Wow. Guys are so daft, it's quite astonishing. How can he **not** know it's him?

It's you, Joe! You! The little voice in my head is screaming. I laugh faintly.

"What? You're not gonna tell me…" Joe asks. My brain suddenly freezes.

"Race you to that stick!" I quickly say, pointing to a branch lying not too far away. I start running.

"Wait! What? Cheater!" Joe yells behind me and starts running. I laugh, knowing that there's no way that he could catch up to me. I stop running as soon as I approach the stick. Joe, not far behind.

"You're a cheater…" he says out of breath. I laugh.

"You're a sore loser…"

Joe looks up to me. His soft brown eyes glistening in the light of the setting sun. He's still shirtless and his hair is all messed up. He smiles a shy-guy smile.

Without thinking, I step forward and I grab the back of Joe's head, pressing his lips against mine. At first it feels weird but after a few seconds, I can feel the tenseness in my shoulders fade. Joe caresses my hair with one hand and wraps the other around my waist. I can feel his bare, warm body presses against mine. The kiss continues consecutively for a few minutes.

"I…uh…sorry…" I say, finally pulling away.

"For what?" Joe asks and pulls me closer by the hand. I smile blushingly.

"You're the guy…" I whisper, still blushing.

"I kinda figured…" Joe replies laughingly. He pulls me into a hug. I feel warm in his arms. Safe.

"I feel the same way…" he whispers.

As I hear the words, my life feels right. Everything is now in place. Everything is complete now.

I can also feel a ridiculously huge smile spreading across my face.

* * *

(Monday- At School)

"Hey baby!" I can hear a voice screaming down the hall. I smile, that's probably Joe. I turn around, only to see Trace running my way. My face falls. After my totally amazingly awesome weekend, seeing him was not one of the best things.

I turn back around and start walking faster.

"Why are you running away from me?" I can hear Trace yell behind me. I just ignore him and I try to make myself as unnoticeable as possible. I duck away in a group of girls, standing in a crowd, talking. After a few seconds I see Trace walking by.

Ahh…That freaking stalker….can't he just disappear…

* * *

Science! I'm so excited! Not because of Trace. Not because of Mr. Reilly. Because of Joe! This is the first class we have together today.

As I walk into the class, the first thing I see is Joe, already sitting, pointing to the seat next to his. His smile is beautiful. I slowly start melting inside. Joe and I agreed that we won't make this 'thing' (we don't know what 'we' are…) too obvious.

My smile widens as I sit down.

"Hey…" Joe says shyly. I blush lightly, I feel like a stupid teeny going on about some celebrity or something!

"Hi…"

"Hey baby!" I can hear that oh-so-familiar voice coming from behind me.

"What do you want, Trace…" I ask through gritted teeth. He walks up in front of me, totally ignoring Joe. He squats down in front of my desk and rests his arms on it.

"I want you baby! I heard you and that jock broke up. Whadaya say?" he asks with a sly smile.

I glance over to Joe, who is now angrily looking out the window. I know it's a strong word…but I hate Trace so much…

"Trace…just go away…" I say, pushing his arms from my desk. He gets up.

"C'mon baby!" he pouts his lips. It looks disgusting. He walks behind me. I can see Joe looking at me from the corner of my eye.

Trace lifts up my hair, bends down and whispers in my ear, "Let's get busy…"

I jump as I hear a loud screech. I turn and see that Joe is now out of his seat, standing right next to Trace.

"Alright that's enough!" he says firmly. Trace turns around and sees Joe standing right next to him with a mad look on his face.

"What. What are you gonna do? Sit down four eyes…" he says and pushes Joe down by his chest. Joe grabs Traces hand, not even flinching.

"I don't think so, dude." he says with a angry look in his eyes. Even though this is a really serious situation…I have to point out that Joe is looking SO GODDAMN HOT right now…

Trace looks around at the class, who has now stopped talking and has turned to look at what is happening. He laughs nervously.

"Ooooo four eyes thinks he can stand up to the man!" he says after a few seconds. Haha, he was probably thinking for a comeback…not that that was a comeback…

"Listen here, Trace!" Joe says, "The way you treat Demi is not acceptable. I want you to stop."

"Oh so I should just listen to you, four eyes?" Trace asks in a baby voice.

"Dude. This act you put on is not amusing ANYBODY! You're a stupid ass loser and you treat girls like trash." Joe retorts. Trace's face is expressionless, though I know that stung.

"Shut the hell up, man."

"This is a conversation. I don't think it's the time to talk to yourself, Trace. Oh, and calling yourself a man…doesn't necessarily make you one…" Joe says confidently and crosses his arms over his chest with a smirk.

An abrupt raise of "Ooooo"s and "BURN!"s come from the class. I can see that Trace doesn't have anything to say back. Joe's self satisfied smile makes me smile.

"Now, leave Demi alone. It's clear that you disgust her. Let it go." Joe says after a while. He motions Trace to walk away. Trace just stares at him. He looks hurt. Haha he so deserves it.

"What are you looking at? I'm not a Playboy magazine…" Joe asks Trace, who is still just looking at him. Trace quickly looks down in shame.

"Now go…" Joe says again. Trace doesn't move for a few seconds before slowly walking away.

"Be grateful man. You've just earned my respect…and no one has ever done that…" he says softly as he walks away. Joe just smirks.

There's a few seconds of silence in the class, as everybody stares at Trace, who walks over to his desk and flops down into his seat. Then suddenly everybody starts going wild.

"Whoa Joe! You go man!"

"Dude! You are officially the man!"

"Wow! You are so awesome!" some random guys come and pat Joe on his back, doing weird handshakes with him and numerous other things that guys do.

After a few minutes the excitement fades away. Joe flops back down in his seat. I smile at him. He just stood up to Trace Cyrus. For me. I never thought Joe would do such a thing. Oh gosh…I love him.

"Thank you so much…" I whisper with a smile.

"Anytime! I know he was kind of getting on your nerves, so…" he replies with a shy smile. Oh how I have the urge to kiss him right now…

"Hopefully he's out of your hair for good now…" Joe says, breaking me out of the trance I was in for a few seconds.

"Yeah…" I reply quickly.

I can't just say 'thank you so much…' after all that. It's just not enough. I need to show Joe that I'm really thankful.

* * *

After English, the class storms out into the hallway as the bell rings. I catch a glimpse of Joe and I quickly move my way through to him.

He looks to his left and he sees me walking right next to him. He flashes a beautiful smile once again.

As we part from the mass of people walking out the classroom, I take his hand in mine, interlacing our fingers. He stares at me like 'what the hell!' but I just smile and he lets it go.

So here we are, walking through the halls…together…holding hands…basically telling everybody that we're together.

As we walk I can see some people stopping and staring and I can also hear some asking each other "where's Nick?" "She's with him now?" but I just smile, ignoring everything.

We get to the cafeteria and Joe and I sit down.

"What are you doing? Now everyone will know!" Joe asks as we sit down.

"What?" I ask plainly.

"The holding hands thing?"

"Oh! Yeah…" I say as if I really didn't know.

"Well…I just wanted to let everyone know that we're…" I pause. I don't know what 'we' are!

"We're what?" Joe asks with a smile. I stutter, trying to find something to say.

"Uh…you know…uh…ugg Joe! I hate when you put me on the spot like that!" I say, my cheeks bright red. Joe chuckles, he clearly finds this really funny.

"Aww…don't worry…I won't do it again…" he replies. He then takes my hand on the table and puts it in his. He looks me straight in the eyes. I start melting slowly…

"Demi…would you…uh…be my girlfriend?"

As the words trickle from his lips, my heart skips a few beats. I know that I'm smiling like a dork right now…but c'mon, he just asked me out.

"Yes…yes, I will…" I say with my ridiculously huge smile. Joe's eyes light up and he smiles widely.

"So…now you can let everybody know…that we're dating…" he says with a satisfied smile.

"Yeah…"

Joe Jonas. My boyfriend. Wow…my dreams have come true…

We sit at the cafeteria table, not saying much. As Joe eats, I can't help but get lost in his…everything! Every now and then, he would look up to me with those puppy-like eyes and the oh-so-important shy-guy smile. I remember Friday afternoon, when I was examining Joe's face for the first time. It was like I was finding a brand new treasure, even though it had been in front of my face all this time.

* * *

"Well, I have history now. I'll see you in English okay?" Joe says as we walk down the hallway.

"Yeah. I've got Math."

Just as Joe's about to turn around the corner to head to his class, I pull him back by his hand.

"Joe…"

"Yeah?" he asks, turning around.

I pull him down by his shirt, tilting my head up a little. Joe cups my face in his hands and we share a quick kiss. As we pull away, I can see Joe's eyes sparkle even more than they did at the table.

"See you later…" I whisper. I walk away, leaving him right there in the middle of the hallway.

* * *

:) Comment please? :) thanks for reading!


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